State, local officials condemn attack at rally

In the wake of politically charged violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend, the respective chairs of Clark County’s Democratic and Republican parties have condemned the attack and stressed that they are working together to foster less-divisive dialogue locally.

But in other ways, the parties have diverged in their response to Saturday’s incident where a man allegedly drove a car into a crowd protesting a white nationalist rally.

On Sunday, David Gellatly, chair of the Clark County Republican Party, took to Twitter to denounce the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalists as well as two groups opposed to them. In his tweet, he included “antifa,” anti-fascist protesters know for wearing all black and seeking out confrontations with right-wing activists. He also mentioned Black Lives Matter, a police accountability movement that’s been criticized for encouraging violence toward law enforcement.

“As Americans, it’s our duty to stand against hate groups like the KKK, the White Nationalists, Antifa and (Black Lives Matter). And media that feeds division,” he wrote.

The Clark County Democratic Party took a different perspective on the incident. In a post to its Facebook page on Sunday, the party joined the criticism of President Donald Trump’s initial remarks where he seemed to blame multiple sides for the incident.

“President Trump condemned violence ‘on all sides,’ which implicitly puts some of the blame on the victims,” reads the post. “This isn’t the first time Trump has engaged in victim-blaming. Make no mistake, this is a terrorist attack. They want us to be afraid to speak out.”

Both Gellatly and Rich Rogers, chair of the Clark County Democratic Party, said that despite their disagreements, the local parties are looking for more ways to collaborate, such as the charity fundraiser softball game they held in June.

But Rogers said that it’s “outrageous” to equate the KKK with Black Lives Matter.

“The KKK has a hundred years of violence behind them,” he said. He also said that while “vitriol breeds vitriol” at some point it needs to stop. He said that Trump has thrived on vitriol.

Gellatly defended his tweet. He said activists who attempt to suppress free speech or promote attacks on law enforcement or Trump supporters are also contributing to an atmosphere where political violence is possible.

“I think it’s a sad place that we are letting ourselves get to as a country,” he said. “I hope both Democrats and Republicans and a majority of people who don’t believe this is healthy can come together and heal.”

Gellatly also called attention to how the Clark County Republican Party shared on its Facebook page a quote from Vice President Mike Pence condemning “hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis or the KKK” while calling for “those extremist groups” to be “pushed out of the public debate entirely.”

Other responses

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., took to Facebook to eulogize Heather Heyer, an activist who was killed in the incident in Charlottesville, Va., and two state troopers, Jay Cullen and Berke M.M. Bates, who died in a helicopter crash on the way to the scene.

“(A)s we continue to keep those who were injured in our thoughts and prayers, we must also recommit to fighting back against those who seek to divide us and use hatred to hurt people and spread fear,” she wrote. “White supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups have no place in our communities and it’s on all of us to stand up and fight back.”

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., responded on Twitter to the incident.

“The hate and bigotry shown in Charlottesville is deplorable and contrary to America’s values of acceptance and respect,” she wrote.

Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, also wrote on Facebook that she was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy in Charlottesville, Va.

“White supremacy, racism, hatred, and bigotry of any kind have no place in our society,” she wrote.